As part of measures to address the dwindling tonnes of cocoa produced annually as the world’s second largest producer of the commodity, the Government of Ghana has announced an abitious agenda to acquire a 200, 000 hectares of land for that purpose.
Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson who announced the move said the initiative would help revive the country’s struggling cocoa sector and restore production levels to one million metric tonnes.
Dr Forson disclosed this at the inauguration of an eleven-member Board of Directors for the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
He emphasised the urgent need for bold interventions to address the sharp decline in cocoa production, which has fallen from a peak of one million metric tonnes to about 500,000 metric tonnes in recent years.
The Ajumako Enyan Essiam lawmaker who is also a member of the COCOBOD Board as a result of a new legal regime requiring the mandatory inclusion of the Minister for Finance and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, reiterated government’s commitment to repositioning cocoa as the cornerstone of the national economy.
“Cocoa has always been the mainstay of our economy, and that must not change,” he said. “Unfortunately, massive mismanagement in recent years has led to a worrying downturn in both production and financial stability. It is time to act decisively.”
He disclosed that the government, working through COCOBOD, would establish plantation farms by acquiring about 200,000 hectares of cocoa land to significantly boost production levels. This, he explained, would complement existing smallholder farmer operations and ensure sustainable growth in the sector.
Dr Forson also highlighted the need to urgently tackle diseased farms, particularly in the Western Region, which continue to hamper output and affect the livelihoods of cocoa farmers. He pledged the Ministry of Finance’s unwavering support for COCOBOD as it embarks on this turnaround agenda.
The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Board, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo who is Political Affairs Advisor at the Office of the Vice President, promised to reset, retool, and reposition COCOBOD as a model institution.
